Fresh Corn Cut Off the Cob

I had never given any thought to cutting corn off the cob, but just about every time we had corn on the cob, Mike would reminisce about how his Grandma in Pensacola would always cut it off the cob for his Grandpa every Sunday when they had their after church dinner.

Easy Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Cajun Cooking TV Cooks

Now that it’s the holiday season, Thanksgiving is just a few days away and Christmas will follow soon enough. I thought I’d share some traditional holiday recipes that I’ve learned from my MawMaw, my mom and step-mother.

For Cornbread Dressing, they each did or do slight variations of the recipe below. I remember I always loved my MawMaw Hebert’s dressing. My mom Patsy makes her dressing with cornbread and rice. My step-mom Murl makes two different dressings each year. She makes a cornbread dressing similar to the recipe below and she makes what she calls Shrimp Dressing. I can’t decide which one is my favorite. Good thing I get to sample all three on Thanksgiving Day.

Looking for a dessert? Check out our Pecan Pie. It’s so easy to make and so good.

Easy Cornbread Dressing Recipe

I’ll be going to the Caillouet Thanksgiving this year where there are 14 of us now. Everyone is getting older and now even a nephew is about to welcome a new baby into the family. I love Thanksgiving Day because of the meaning of giving thanks and getting together with family and friends is so much less stressful than Christmas time.

We have no other obligation than to bring a good dish (and make it a double batch), enjoy some football, have some laughs and take a nap. But most importantly, I am thankful for my family on all sides, my daughters Alletia, Ashley, and Alexandra, my grandchildren, my god-daughters, and of course the one and only Bossman – my husband Mike.

How to Make Cocktail Sauce

Cocktail Sauce is so simple, but an essential dip for any fried or boiled seafood dish.

We use this Cocktail Sauce recipe for boiled shrimp, french fries, shrimp po-boys, fried catfish, fried crab claws, raw oysters and Snow Crab Legs. You get the point.

This homemade Cocktail Sauce recipe is an easy alternative to buying Cocktail Sauce out of a bottle that has been sitting on store selves for months and often contain unneeded preservatives and artificial flavoring.

Always be careful to leave 2-4 inches from the top to leave room for the oil to bubble up.

Optimal temperature is 350 to 375 degrees.

An electric fryer either has an automatic temperature setting or a button to help you.

If you are using a regular pot and do not have a thermometer, drop a small amount of a potato into the oil.

If it bubbles up quickly, the oil is ready.

Ready to Fry!

Deep Frying French Fries:

Once the oil is properly heated, carefully drop potatoes into the oil.

Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. Potatoes should freely move around.

Potatoes should be golden brown and probably will be floating to the top of the oil.

Remove with a slotted spoon and drain excess oil on layers of paper towels.

Homemade French Fries

Serving Suggestions for Homemade French Fries

Serve with Sea salt or Tony’s Creole Seasoning sprinkled on top.

Or for a bit if indulgence, top with finely shredded cheddar cheese.

Note: Oil and water DO NOT MIX!! Keep water away from the hot oil. If you pour water on the oil, the mixture will explode. If the oil smokes or catches fire, cover it with a pan lid or cookie sheet. You can use baking soda to put out any grease fires, but be careful that you don’t spread the flames around.

Sometimes you just want to drop some french fries in the oil can cook them up in a hurry… The BEST frozen french fries we’ve ever tasted are the Whole Foods store brand 365 Crinkle Cut French Fries. They are awesome!